Edge of Freedom
by Astaldowen
Summary: When Steve learns of a covert SHIELD operation to eliminate the Winter Soldier, he immediately sets out to stop it. And when Fury discovers Captain Rogers's disappearance, he sends a trusted agent to track him down. But she's battling demons of her own, and when opposing missions collide, a deal is struck that brings about more than either party bargained for.
1. Prologue: The Asset

**Hello and welcome to the story!**

 **I'm excited to finally venture into writing fic for the MCU! A few things to get you oriented because they wouldn't fit in the summary: this story is slightly AU, set between CAWS and CACW directly after AoU. Steve x OC, _slow burn_. Rating for violence and some mild language. **

**Hope you enjoy and feel free to drop a review or a PM!**

* * *

 ** _Prologue: The Asset_**

 _Mission: Preservation of HYDRA._

 _Primary target: Level eight. Enhanced. Considered extremely dangerous. Engage on sight._

 _Secondary targets: Any other threat to the launch of Project Insight. Eliminate immediately._

The orders were the only thing to fill his head. Crouched on his perch well beyond any prying eyes, he observed the unfolding storm. Gunfire popped from multiple floors. Three massive helicarriers slowly rose into the sky, and a steady stream of well-dressed people stampeded out of the front doors of the Triskelion, sobbing and swearing and dragging their less fortunate friends behind them.

They screamed, but he didn't move. Not until a voice broke through the static in his comms:

" _Twenty-second floor. STRIKE compromised. Targets: levels six and seven. Engage and eliminate."_

"Yes, sir."

Using his metal arm to control the fall, he slid from his hiding place. Light on his feet and armed to the teeth, he stalked through and around the chaos, nothing more than the smoke in the air. He moved up uncrowded stairwells and through air vents until he finally got a good vantage point to assess the target.

 _Five hostiles. Two male, three female. Insignia on left shoulder patch indicating SHIELD Special Forces._

And based on the number of STRIKE combatants down, they fought like it.

He'd need to make this quick.

Black sights lined up on the first target, and a finger wrapped around the trigger. He squeezed, the rifle pushed back into his shoulder, and the target fell.

The second and third came down in the same ghostly staccato. Two remained: a huge man that stood over the bodies of the other three as STRIKE began to rally, and a woman with a commanding air that had taken cover but still fired on the STRIKE commandos and barked into her comms.

She was the smart one.

The man crumpled to the floor, three exit wounds in his chest.

Now it was just a waiting game.

One little mistake. One break in resolve. One split second of emotion overriding training.

 _There._

Black sights lined up on the target. A finger wrapped around the trigger and squeezed. The rifle pushed back into his shoulder, and the target stumbled.

He pulled the trigger again, and the target fell.

The STRIKE commandos filed out of the room. As he slid from his perch and ran towards the flight pad, their commander's voice crackled through his comms:

" _Well done, Soldier."_


	2. Chapter 1: Code Rogue

Isolation, upheaval, uncertainty, loneliness. He'd known the fullness of those feeling from the time he was eighteen, forced by circumstance to live on his own. At least then he'd had people the got it, that understood the world as he did because it was the only world they had ever known.

Now, Steve mused, things were much different.

He had friends, he knew that much. Sam hadn't left his side from the first time he'd met him in Washington, and he had the feeling that Natasha, in spite of herself, would probably take a bullet for him if it came down to it. Not that he'd let her. As for the rest of the Avengers, they were always on call, and they hadn't once failed him. Still, a lot of him still missed the old world, the world on the other side of the ice. Parts of it still existed; though old and physically frail, Peggy still lived in Winchester, and he caught glimpses of Howard every time Tony Stark smiled.

Then there was Bucky.

Still alive, at the very least, but definitely, _definitely_ changed.

He knew his old friend was still in HYDRA's mental deathtrap somewhere, otherwise he wouldn't be breathing. What he didn't know was how much of him was left, or even where he was. Almost a year of chasing cold leads had gotten him nowhere, but he couldn't let himself give up. Bucky would've done the same for him.

But 1945 was one thing; 2015 was another, full of pain and destruction all its own.

He wasn't going to deny the tragedy that Ultron had been, but he also knew beyond the shadow of a doubt they'd been right in stopping him when they did. The effects of it still weighed on him heavily though, and the constant coverage of the aftermath that continually plastered itself all over the news certainly didn't help much.

After all, he knew a thing or two about displacement.

In the days immediately following the carnage, he'd somehow managed to convince Fury to open up old SHIELD bases to shelter those who'd been affected. The more the refugees filed in, the more the weight began to lift off of his chest, little bit by little bit. But looking into the faces of the survivors and hearing their stories still grieved him, and as he knelt in front of a mother with two little children as she recounted hers, his heart broke for at least the thousandth time in the past month or so.

"I didn't think we'd make it out," she said. "I thought we'd be caught in the crossfire, but then we saw you…"

Tears cut her off, and she tightened her grip on her children. Steve just offered an empathetic expression.

"There really were angels watching over us," she managed. "It gave us hope." She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "You and your friends saved my children. _Thank you._ "

Steve just nodded. "You keep fighting," he said. "It's not fair, and it's not gonna be easy, and I hate that it happened to you, but I know that the people of Sokovia are strong enough to get through this. We're here to make sure that you do."

Tears poured down her face again, and he laid a hand on her shoulder before standing up.

"It _will_ get better," he said. "Don't give up."

She just continued to nod emphatically, and he couldn't help but smile a little.

Eventually he made his way out into a smaller hallway, lost in his own hard thoughts, but a set of footsteps behind him snapped him out of them.

"Seeing you around really lifts their spirits," a voice said from behind him.

"It's not enough, Nick," he said, turning to find Director Fury standing behind him. "They need more supplies. Food, blankets, medicine-"

"Which we're working with the Stark Relief Foundation to be able to provide."

Steve just sighed. Fury continued.

"We're doing the best we can, Captain, but in case you haven't noticed, we're a little short staffed."

He had a point.

"Maybe it's time you went back to New York," Fury continued. "Try to get this newfangled thing called rest."

Steve smirked. "I'll rest when the world does. And that's not happening anytime soon."

Fury took a few steps closer. "We've got things well in hand here," he said. "Just give it time."

Finally Steve relented. "Okay."

With that, Fury disappeared back down the hall again. Steve remained frozen for a second, fixated on an undefined spot on the floor before slowly beginning to make his way down to the garage.

But when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, he stopped dead.

An agent, visor up and armed to the teeth, hurriedly disappeared around a corner and soon as he saw him. Guard shooting up, Steve followed him at a distance until he disappeared into a debriefing room. A strong voice floated out from inside; he pressed himself up against the wall and listened. What he heard made his blood run cold.

"You all know what he did in Washington. Special Forces Squad Six was one of the most elite under our command, and he knocked them down like a bunch of freaking dominoes. The Winter Soldier is a _liability_ , ladies and gentleman, and it's our job to tie that loose end up. We have order from Director Fury to shoot on sight, no questions asked—"

That was all he could make himself listen to. As quietly as he could, he stormed down the hall towards the garage.

So _that_ was why Fury'd tried to get rid of him earlier…

It didn't matter. No matter what, he told himself, he would get to Bucky first.

He picked up his pace, ignoring the hard footsteps that followed him.

"Captain Rogers!" Agent Hill barked from behind.

He just disappeared around a corner and tried to lose her in response. Still she kept coming.

"Captain Rogers!" she called again.

Now Hill sounded mad. But that had never stopped him before. The footsteps slowed; he could just barely hear her voice barking orders into her radio, the only bit of which he caught was "code Rogue."

Just then the base above him leapt into action. He swore under his breath.

He'd _just_ gotten off of threat watch…

 _Guess this is the normal routine now,_ he thought to himself as he took off down the hallway. A friend's words immediately jumped into his head:

" _First rule of going on the run is don't run. Walk."_

It made him feel all the worse for drawing this much attention to himself, but if he didn't get there fast enough—

The garage doors jumped into view. A few warning shots were fired as he sprinted towards his Harley and fired it up. The engine roared and the tires squealed as orders to stand down boomed over the intercom.

He responded to them the way he always had since 1945.

He sped up.

Black SUVs poured out of the base behind him, but he knew they couldn't go far before they'd get "too public" and be forced to turn around. He gunned it towards the interstate. A few more shots rang out behind him—not intended to kill, but certainly there to send a message or take his tires out—and rubber squealed again as he made a last-minute sharp turn. A few SUVs skidded and slammed into a huge tree, the others piled up behind them in an avalanche of burning rubber, twisted metal, and broken glass.

Steve didn't look to see if anyone was hurt.

He caught Hill jumping out of one of them in his little side-view mirror, looking as cold, frustrated, and _done_ as ever as she fumbled with a radio. Other agents started crawling out of the wreckage, but Steve pushed onwards.

Fury definitely wouldn't be pleased, but Fury would get over it.

He sped onto a huge concrete bridge. The Pentagon eventually popped into view, and the rest of Washington sprawled out in the distance beyond it. An empty spot where the Triskelion used to be jumped out at him out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't have time to look.

He _knew_ Fury'd have someone after him soon, and someone good. Someone sneaky, intimidating, and big. Or maybe even a friend. He'd have to keep his eyes open.

His thoughts turned back to Bucky.

Steve wasn't quite sure where his old friend would be—he never was, now that he thought about it—and as he flew down the merge ramp onto another interstate, he didn't quite know where _he'd_ end up, either.

All he knew was time was _not_ on his side.

Then again, when was it ever?

* * *

"Not sure, boss. No telling where he might be now."

Fury just sighed over the radio. Agent Hill could hear the look on his face through it: jaw set, glare fixed, eye twitching just a little. Not that _she_ was exactly thrilled with the situation, but there definitely wasn't much use in standing around in the middle of the road, either.

"I can have a team after him in five minutes," she suggested, rubbing her temple.

" _No. He'll expect that. We need something more subtle. He's getting smarter."_

Not that Rogers was ever an idiot, but Fury definitely had a point. It grated on her nerves, along with the terse silence that poured from the other end of the radio, but she didn't show it.

"Agent Garcia around?"

" _Negative. Still undercover in Frankfurt."_

She thought for a second. "Agent Mills is in St. Mary's. I'll—"

" _Yeah, no. He'll get run over."_

"And Agent Ferguson hasn't made contact in a month." She sighed. "What about Callis?"

" _She's CIA now, remember? Also…hell no."_

Hill's head started to hurt, and Fury went silent again, which made it worse. After what seemed like ages, she heard a stir on the other side that sounded an awful lot like an "aha" moment.

" _Hill,"_ Fury finally said. " _Get me Agent Reeves."_


	3. Chapter 2: Agent Alyson Reeves

No inspirational presidential quotes. No stainless steel statues. Not even a " _Never Forget."_ Just a bridge with windows of bulletproof glass looking down through the Potomac river and five massive black granite pillars set in a semi-circle.

Most people weren't fond of a memorial made with taxpayer dollars erected to what lots of folks liked to believe was a terrorist organization, but that made this the one place in the Washington area where it was humanly possible to be alone.

Right now, that was just what Aly needed.

The pillars sat equidistant around a circle emblazoned with SHIELD's old seal. The bright afternoon sunlight caught in the sharp etches of the countless names engraved into each pillar, and amid the pillars sat what was left of the towering skyscraper that used to cut like a black knife through Arlington's blue sky.

Aly's footsteps hardly made a sound on the bridge as she peered down through one of the windows. The dark, twisted remains of a helicarrier sat just inches below her feet. The idea of what else probably lay down there sent chills up her spine.

 _It's been a year._

The thought jumped into her head without bravado, without the aggressive need to be recognized, without the stab to the heart that she thought it would. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that for the real anniversary-April 4th-she'd been deep underground in Eastern Europe, gearing up for what ended up being her first mission back on the field.

Her first mission since the day everything went to hell.

She remembered a similar day years back when her eye caught the Pentagon, the day her mind was made up for her, the day she vowed to keep something like that from happening again.

When she turned back towards the pillars, her mind quietly went back to the day just over a year ago when that promise broke.

Slowly she meandered around the pillars, her eyes scanning the names, departments, and squad numbers until she finally found what she was looking for:

 _Special Forces._

A few lines further down: _Squad 6._

 _Michael Chavez. John "Johnny" Fitzpatrick. Amber Singh. Jessica Wolff._

Her fingers quietly traced over the names, brushing away the dirt and pollen that had managed to accumulate around them, and she fought unsuccessfully to keep the vivid memories that threatened to surface from overtaking her mind.

The media may have seen the flames around the Triskelion, the helicarriers dropping from the sky, and the uncovered conspiracy trending on Twitter, but they hadn't witnessed the extraordinary bravery, the quick thinking in the face of terrible danger, the willingness to sacrifice life and limb to rescue others. They hadn't dodged punches, thwarted knives, and dragged victims from the rubble amid bellowing, panicked orders in Russian. They hadn't watched nearly their entire command fall from slugs that came from nowhere.

They hadn't felt the burn when two of those slugs sank into their own flesh. They hadn't seen the Triskelion up in flames through the tinted blur of an ambulance window. They hadn't vowed to be the first man in and the last man out and broken that vow when it mattered most.

Aly had.

The four names engraved on that pillar spoke more to her failure than anything. It didn't burn nearly as much as it used to, but she certainly still felt the weight as she stooped and laid the flowers she'd been holding at the foot of the pillar and took a step back. A silent promise-the same one that she'd whispered from a wheelchair at four separate funerals-rebranded itself onto her heart.

No matter what happened, she would _not_ fail again.

Her phone suddenly rang and cut her thoughts short. She picked it up and glanced at the caller ID.

 _Maria Hill._

She sighed and tried to keep her voice even.

"Yes, ma'am."

" _Agent Reeves, this is Agent Hill. Get to headquarters as quickly as you can. We have an assignment for you."_

"With all due respect, I'm currently on leave-"

" _Agent...this is Code Rogue."_

Concern temporarily registered in her eyes, then she nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll be there as soon as I can."

" _See you then."_

"Bye."

She hung up, and frustration and worry tinged her sigh as she hopped into her little black Chevy and drove off, melting into the menagerie of DC traffic. Eventually she worked her way out of the city, and when she got to the point where her GPS suddenly and completely cut off, she knew she was getting close. She turned a corner, and suddenly a gate in what would have looked like a solid wall of graffitied concrete pushed open. Turning on her headlights, she drove inside, parked her car, and swiftly made her way to headquarters.

Fury looked stressed-then again, he always did these days-and Agent Hill stood behind him, arms folded across her chest. He looked up from the undefined spot on the desk that he stared at when Aly walked in.

"Agent Reeves," he said, "Glad you made it."

Aly snapped into a more militant mode. "Sir."

"I hate to call you in on your day off, but we got a situation."

Aly smiled just barely as she made her way further in. "I figured." Her face fell to stone once again. "What's going on?"

Agent Hill took over. "This afternoon at around thirteen hundred hours a special mission was given to a very select and elite squadron. They were tasked with tracking down and extracting the Winter Soldier."

Aly's brow furrowed as she crossed her arms. "I thought he was just a ghost story."

"A lot of people do," Fury said, leaning back in his chair. "That's usually when he puts a slug through 'em."

His voice held the distinct edge of personal experience.

"When Insight was initiated, the Soldier was deployed once HYDRA was revealed," Agent Hill continued. "Captain Rogers engaged him and was nearly killed, and he's got a lot more blood on his hands than that. He's been loose ever since then."

"And that's _dangerous,"_ Fury added.

Aly nodded. "So, you're trying to get him off the streets. Guess something didn't go as planned?"

"Captain Rogers was here on base at the same time the squad was receiving their orders," Agent Hill said. "He went missing shortly afterwards."

"We think he might be trying to take matters into his own hands," Fury added, "and that doesn't mean what you think it means."

"You're saying he'd get in the way?" Her confusion actually registered in her voice.

"I'm saying he might just make our lives a whole lot harder." Fury leaned forward on his elbows as he spoke.

"How?"

"Rogers and the Soldier had a personal connection back in the forties," Agent Hill clarified. "We don't know too much about the relationship at this point, but between the files and comments from Rogers himself, we have enough to conjecture that things might be about to get interesting."

"Isn't that how it always is?" Aly said, raising an eyebrow.

Fury shot her the closest thing he ever had to a smile. "Guess so."

Aly straightened a little more. "What do you need me to do, sir?"

"I need you to find Rogers and convince him that whatever he's about to do is a bad idea," Fury deadpanned. "Then bring him back here for questioning."

Aly looked at him funny. "You sending a big guy with me? Because if "bring him back" means what it usually means-" she laughed nervously "-then I'm gonna need at least three."

"Tact, smarts, and a pretty smile," Fury replied, leaning back in his chair. "All the big guys you need."

Aly tried to speak again, but Agent Hill cut her off.

"In order for this to work, we need to send someone that he's not going to recognize but that still has the necessary skillset."

"That's why we're not sending another Avenger, in case you were wondering," Fury said. After a silence, he added, "Cap's stubborn, but he's got a good head on his shoulders. You just have to get him to use it."

Aly nodded. "We have any leads?"

"He was last seen today at fifteen hundred hours headed northeast," Agent Hill said. "Company car. It...shouldn't take much to track him down. Convincing him to come back with you with the laws of physics not on your side will be the tricky part."

"I figured," Aly said. "I'll get some facial recognition software running and try and track down the license plate number on the vehicle. If that doesn't work I'll tap into highway cameras and social media. Hopefully that'll nail him down."

"Sounds good to me," Fury said, "as long as you don't scare him off."

Aly smirked. "I won't, sir."

"I'm counting on it, Agent," Fury said. "You're dismissed."

Aly gave him a crisp nod. "Sir."

With that she turned on her heel and made her way to the little dark alcove that had become the closest thing she could get to an office. A beat-up office chair sat in front of a few computer screens, and a huge stack of files sat untouched on the corner of her desk. She fired up a few computers, opened a few windows, and let the programs crank. It wasn't anything compared to the tech she used to have, but it did the trick, even if it did take longer-

"Fury got you chasing another rabbit, ma'am?" a voice said behind her.

She grinned at the voice. It belonged to Agent Dalton Young, the only other member of Special Forces Squad Six that Insight hadn't claimed. Just as the words were coming out of his mouth, facial recognition finally finished warming up. When Captain Rogers's face and information popped up in full view, she just turned to screen towards him in response.

His dark eyes popped. "That's one hell of a rabbit."

She smirked a little as her fingers danced on the keyboard. "Yeah, but I'd rather be chasing him down than some of the other freaks on this planet." Sighing, she crossed her arms across her chest.

A bright white grin popped against Dalton's dark skin. "I get that, ma'am. I get that."

Aly leaned forward and gave Dalton a little smile. "There something I can do for you, Agent Young?"

"No. I just-" he smiled again and wrung his hands together in happy anticipation "-I just wanted to tell you that the CIA reviewed my application and interview...and I got in. Terrorism Task Force."

Her face lit up, though a little pang of sadness shot through her. "That's awesome!" she said. "Congratulations, Dalton."

"Thank you, ma'am," Dalton beamed. He eyed her a little. "They said the recommendation letter from my CO really put it over the top."

She grinned. "Well it's really hard to make a kid that graduated early from the Academy with top honors and already had four years of elite field experience under his belt look bad."

Dalton just smiled humbly at his feet.

"I mean come on," she continued, "to have done what you've done and only be twenty-two years old? That's _insane_. Most kids-including me-are just graduating college at that age. You gotta give yourself some credit here, too."

Dalton smirked. "Well, when you put it _that_ way…"

They both laughed for a second. Then Aly grew silent as she leaned back in her chair and looked at him hard.

"I'm gonna miss seeing you around, kid," she said thoughtfully, "but you're gonna go far. You aren't the first to go from SHIELD to the CIA. They'll be lucky to have you."

Dalton just nodded. "Thank you, Agent Reeves."

She only smiled in response.

"Well," Dalton said, "I guess I'll let you get back to work, ma'am-" he peered over her shoulder to the screen "-because it looks like you've already got a hit."

Quickly she spun her chair around and glued her attention to the computer screen, watching as the percent match bar rather quickly climbed to one hundred.

"Hill was right about one thing, Captain," she muttered. "You _were_ easy to find."

Besides, she decided as she bounced from screen to screen to solidify the lead, there were worse places to go than Brooklyn.


	4. Chapter 3: Brooklyn

Steve stared out at a familiar skyline. Bright city lights drowned out the stars that would have flecked the sky, and taxis flew down the street, looking like they might smack into a pedestrian or six but still managing on without a hitch. A mix of different cultures and languages popped out at him occasionally, and he walked with his head down and his hands in his pockets.

It may have looked a lot less gritty than it did when he was a kid, but he decided that Brooklyn's old spirit hadn't been broken at all.

At any rate, home was home.

Part of him still wondered at how he'd managed to lose SHIELD so fast a few hours ago, but he thought he'd take his luck and run at this point. Knowing Fury, he didn't have long.

He slid up under a streetlight, looked around a bit to make sure no one was close by, and slid an old, beat-up manilla folder out from underneath his jacket. The light made the Cyrillic print on the front look even more intimidating than it usually did, and he opened the folder quickly.

He'd glanced through the records once after Natasha gave it to him, but as he hadn't really been able to get past the two pictures in the very front of the file, each read-through hadn't been very thorough. That, and most of it was written in Russian, which he didn't speak a lick of. The thought was cut short when his eyes caught the pictures again: one with his best friend's face eerily frozen stiff in a cryotube, the other taken the day Sergeant James Barnes received his orders.

That one, the Bucky he knew, hurt the most.

He found himself wondering not for the first time what would happen if and when he finally did find Bucky. He was still breathing, so he knew his old friend had to have been in there still, but he still had no idea what he would do. What he would say.

He felt his phone vibrate sharply in his pocket, and he shoved the folder back inside his jacket and picked it up.

"Whaddaya got, Sam?"

" _Nothing,"_ Sam's voice replied. " _From here to the end of the island and back, it's pretty much dead."_

"Huh," Steve grunted.

" _Kinda looks like Fury's sitting on his ass at this point."_

"Which means he definitely isn't," Steve said firmly. "Keep your eyes peeled."

" _Roger that. Any leads on our missing persons case?"_

Steve sighed hard. "Not yet."

" _Hang in there, Cap. I'm gonna make one more sweep. I'll let you know if I see anything."_

"Thanks, Sam."

" _Over and out."_

He hung up and shoved his phone back into his pocket. A bright, neon open sign in the window of an old waffle house he had the suspicion had been there as long as he'd been gone called his name, and he tentatively crossed the street and stepped inside. It wasn't long before he found himself mulling over a cup of coffee and making another futile attempt at going through that KGB file under the table.

Once again he just stared at the photos and willed the Russian to turn into something he could actually read.

It wasn't much, but it was all he had at this point. And with SHIELD trailing the Winter Soldier with high powered technology and the latest in facial recognition software, he knew he was _hilariously_ outgunned.

He needed help, but he didn't know who else to call.

So he pulled his baseball cap down tighter onto his head, took a sip of coffee, and prayed Sam would find something.

* * *

Even with advanced combat training and a few compact nine-millimeters concealed under her brown leather bomber jacket, Aly still wasn't fond of walking alone through a big city at night.

She kept her head on a swivel, stuck to the brightest areas, and fiercely stared down anyone who crossed her path as she made her way out of the parking garage and out onto the street. If the software on her phone hadn't completely lost its mind-and it didn't usually-her target sat just on the other side of that crosswalk in a run-down restaurant. Which was convenient: she hadn't stopped for food once since she set out from the SHIELD base and _desperately_ needed a cup or five of coffee to keep her eyes open at this point. Still, she slid her phone into her hand and called headquarters with a simple message:

"Agent Reeves to headquarters: target in sight and soon to be engaged."

" _Roger that,"_ Hill's voice said from the other side. " _Keep us posted."_

Nodding, she slid her phone back into her bag, crossed the street, and slipped inside.

The dim lights in the old waffle house forced Aly to squint a little to be able to see, but she gained her bearings quickly. Immediately she noted two exits: the one behind her and another in front, and she did her best to keep eyes on both. A few beat-up leather booths and a small bar with stools that at one time probably matched the booths were all the establishment boasted. Not many customers populated the place-not surprising given the neighborhood-but the few that were there chatted or stared blankly into steaming cups of coffee. One of them in particular caught her eye. He sat alone in an old grey T-shirt and a baseball cap, muscular frame bent over a mug of coffee that had most likely long since gone cold.

She'd know that profile anywhere.

Rogers.

He didn't seem to be overly in a hurry, so she took her time and gave him some space. She sat down at the bar four or five seats away from him and pretended to mull over a laminated menu. The middle-aged woman behind the counter walked over to her.

"Know what you want, sugar?"

"Just coffee for now, thank you," Aly replied.

She continued to pretend to read as the woman poured the coffee. Keeping one eye on the exits and the other on Rogers, she added cream and sugar and took a sip. She knew she needed to get his attention without scaring him off or blowing her cover too much, and a plan began to form in her head.

She unlocked the passcode on her phone, opened an app that would make her phone go off in a few seconds, and shoved it back into the bottom of her bag. When the ringtone went off, she quickly stood up and began rummaging through her purse, and when she got just behind Rogers, she faked a trip and smacked into the red and white tiles on the floor, spilling her purse in the process.

Not exactly graceful, but it did the trick.

Rogers was immediately beside her.

"Oh, my God, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I-" She sat up and tried to gather the mess. "Oh, why am I such a clutz? On top of everything else..."

"Here." He began picking her things up and putting them back in the bag.

"Thank you," she said, trying to make it sound like she knocked the wind out of herself. "Thank you so much."

He gave her a little smile as he stood up. "No problem."

He held a hand down to help her up and she took it, but as soon as she moved

to stand she cried out and flopped back onto the floor.

Rogers' brow furrowed. "What is it?"

"My ankle," she whimpered. "It didn't bother me until I moved it, but now...oh, God, it hurts!"

"It doesn't look like it's broken or anything," he said, "but if it's hurting you that bad, you should probably get it checked out." He helped her up, and she threw in a few winces for good measure.

"There's a hospital not too far from here. I can take you there if you want."

She giggled. "What a gentleman! You're a godsend, you really are!"

She dug for her keys, and they hobbled out to her car. Once she was settled in shotgun, he went around to the driver's seat and fired up the engine.

"I can't thank you enough," Aly said as they pulled out. "What's your name?"

"...Chris," he said, obviously coming up with the cover right off the top of his head. He stopped at a stoplight. "What's yours?"

She pulled out her I.D. and almost sounded a little apologetic.

"Agent."

"Reeves, Alyson P.," he read. His voice dropped. "SHIELD Special Forces."

"Yup," she said. "Game over, Rogers."

"I take it your ankle's good, then? It was a nice little stunt you pulled back there, though. How'd you find me?"

"It was about like tracking a T-Rex through snow," she said.

He let out a hollow chuckle. "That bad, huh?"

"Well, maybe that's a little harsh, but yeah."

The hum of wind noise filled the silence. Rogers broke it.

"Why'd you come after me?"

"You overheard info about a secret mission to hunt down the Winter Soldier and then went AWOL shortly afterwards. Fury's not exactly thrilled, so he sent me to find you and bring you back for questioning."

He sighed. "I guess this is where it gets complicated, then." He took his eyes off the road long enough to look dead at her. "I'm not going back. Not yet."

Aly sat up a little straighter. "You have to. I'm sorry, Captain, but orders are orders."

"I'm not going back until I find him."

"Find who? The Winter Soldier?"

He stayed stubbornly silent.

"You weren't given that assignment, Rogers."

"I'm not doing this for SHIELD, Agent Reeves. I'm doing it for Bucky."

Her brow furrowed. "Bucky?"

He nodded, and he suddenly seemed a little saddened. "That's his name-his real name. James Buchanan Barnes...Bucky for short. He and I go way back."

In spite of her confusion, she decided to hear him out.

"He was supposedly killed during the war," Rogers continued, "but HYDRA had him the whole time. Turned him into what SHIELD saw in Washington. If SHIELD finds him, they'll kill him." His voice gained determination. "I thought I'd lost him once. It's not happening again."

The story touched her, but she still had a job to do. She tried to find a way to talk some sense into him.

"It sounds like HYDRA did some nasty things to him. Things that can mess a guy up for life." She knew what she had to say next would probably make him angry, but she said it anyway in the most sympathetic tone she could manage. "Even if you do find him, how do you know your friend even exists anymore?"

"Because on the day that he was supposed to end me, he saved my life," Rogers replied. "Soldiers don't do stuff like that. Friends do. _That's_ how I know that he's still in there." He stopped the car. "I know you've got a job to do, Agent Reeves, and I hate to get in your way, but I gotta find Bucky before SHIELD does."

They stayed silent for a few moments.

"Headquarters already knows I've found you," she said, this time with a lot less conviction than before. "I can't just let you go."

"I'll make you a deal then," he said. "I'll go back with you, but only if you help me find Bucky first. I'll explain everything to Fury when we get back, and if he doesn't like it, I'll handle the consequences. It's all on me. Deal?"

She definitely didn't like it, but at this point, she really didn't have a choice. She nodded a little.

"Deal."

Every warning bell inside her starting ringing full force, but she didn't miss the relief that shot across Rogers's features. He looked like he was about to say something, but his phone cut him off. He dug it out of his pocket and put it on speaker.

"Sam."

" _Yeah, you said Fury wouldn't sit around for long, and you were right,"_ a rushed whisper replied. " _Wherever you are, you gotta get moving. Task Force on Atlantic."_

Rogers glared at Aly.

"Hey, I was the only one Fury sent after you," she said.

"Apparently not," Rogers sassed, speeding up.

" _Who the hell is that?"_ the voice through the phone demanded.

"She's good...I think. I'll explain later."

Aly sighed hard. "Fury did _not_ send a squad after you, but there is still a Task Force out there hunting down the Soldier. And they must have had the same idea you did."

"'Cause you tipped them off?" Rogers snapped.

Aly scoffed hard. "Look, I don't like this any more than you do, Captain, but if I'm gonna help you, then you're gonna have to trust me."

And she'd have to return the favor. That made her a lot more uncomfortable than she felt like it should have. Rogers's face took on an almost sadder flavor.

"Give me a reason to, and I will."

She looked ahead just as a helicopter swooped overhead. Shouts and flashlights jumped out at them from every direction. She swallowed hard.

"I'm about to give you plenty."


	5. Chapter 4: Taking a Gamble

Steve turned back to his phone.

"How far up the street does the patrol go?"

" _Not too far,"_ Sam's voice replied. " _If you went up Liberty for a few miles, you could probably get around it."_

"No good. They already know we're here." Agent Reeves tensed up significantly. "Get out of the car."

Steve gave her a little bit of a look. "Agent-"

"I can get through this rendezvous on my own no sweat, Captain, but the second they see you, we're done!"

"How do you know I won't just run off?"

She set her jaw. "If I expect you to trust me, then I kinda gotta return the favor, don't I?"

She didn't sound thrilled about the idea at all, but he forced the thought out of his head.

" _Steve…"_

Sam sounded just as uncomfortable as Steve felt, but as the helicopter made a second sweep and faded out of sight, he sighed hard.

"No, she's right," he said.

Sam all but growled through the phone. " _How do you know she's not gonna turn us in?"_

The idea stopped him short. He turned around sharply to face Agent Reeves, trying to read an answer. She didn't say a word, which didn't help in the least, but at this point, he figured he didn't have a choice.

"It's a risk we're gonna have to take," he sighed, undoing his seatbelt and moving for the door handle. Agent Reeves held up a hand.

"Wait…" Her eyes scanned the agents moving around in front of her for a second. "Go, go now."

Without a word he shoved the phone in his pocket and jumped low out of the car, rolling into a more dimly lit area. He could barely see Agent Reeves crawling over to the driver's seat before the car moved quickly forward. Sighing, he jogged up an alley towards Liberty Avenue and pulled his phone back out.

"Sam, get me eyes on Agent Reeves."

" _Gotta know what I'm looking at first,"_ Sam replied.

Steve picked up his pace. "Black chevy."

" _That narrows it down. I need the driver."_

Steve just barely suppressed an eye-roll. "Blonde hair, bomber jacket, killer smile."

" _Got it,"_ Sam said. " _Sounds cute."_

"'Cute' won't get us out of this," Steve huffed.

" _Yeah, I get the feeling 'cute' may've gotten us into it."_

Steve rolled his eyes. "Just get me eyes on her!"

" _On it,"_ Sam replied.

Light from headlights bounced at him from Atlantic in between buildings. Voices faded in and out of earshot, and though none of them sounded perturbed, he kept jogging until he found a stopping point. Sam's timing was perfect.

" _Think I got her. Let me focus in."_

Steve waited for a second. Sam suddenly whistled low.

" _Damn, she_ is _cute."_

"Focus, please!" Steve growled. "What's she doing?"

" _Rolling up to the checkpoint. Looks like they're just gonna wave her through."_

A little bit of relief took some of the weight off of Steve's shoulders a few seconds too early.

" _Wait...they're flagging her down. She's stopping."_

Steve poked his head around the corner of a building, hoping to get a better view, but when an agent on the other end of the alley glanced his way, he glued himself back up against the wall.

" _She's rolling the window down."_ Sam sighed. " _She better not screw us over."_

Steve got moving again. "Nothing we can do about it now."

Phone in hand, he took off down the street, hoping to God that the gamble he'd just made didn't cost him.

* * *

"Good evening, ma'am," the young agent said as he leaned down into Aly's car window, polite smile sprawled across his face. "Identification, please?"

She produced the card, and after he examined it, his eyebrows shot up.

"Level seven?" he said. "Man, we must really be getting close to the Soldier if Fury's sending you out here."

"Not after the Soldier, kid," Aly replied, "but good luck when you do find him. Lord knows you're gonna need it."

The young agent laughed a little bit as another, higher ranking agent came up behind him.

"Agent Reeves," he said. "Good to see you again."

"Agent Cox," she replied.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, flashing a cocky grin. "What brings you to Brooklyn?"

She hesitated. Sure, she'd agreed to help Captain Rogers, but she hadn't exactly been thrilled with the prospect of going on a joy ride after an infamous international terrorist from the moment the words left her mouth. Alone, she definitely couldn't do much to bring Rogers in outside of the deal, but with backup like this-

 _No,_ her conscious snapped. _He trusts you for some odd reason. You can't do that to him._

Still, if she did, she'd be able to go home-

But when she pictured his face as he told her his story and when his voice echoed in her head, she couldn't make herself.

Agent Cox's grin became more strained the more she waited, so she shot him a smile that she hoped would get him off her case.

" _Classified,"_ she said.

"Gotcha," he replied. "Well, when you're free, let me know if 'classified' wants to grab dinner sometime or something."

She laughed. "I've been turning that offer down since the New York incident, Cox. What makes you think I'd change my mind now?"

He shrugged. "Feelin' lucky, I guess."

She just rolled her eyes and shot him another grin that was definitely strained.

"Go on through, ma'am," the younger agent said.

"You have a good night, Aly," Agent Cox said, winking.

She did her very best to keep her irritation out of her voice. "You, too."

The car started off again, and she rolled the window back up as quickly as she could. Once it had, she sighed with relief.

"Thank _God_ that's over," she muttered to herself.

She went on a little farther before turning up an alley towards Liberty. When she caught sight of a familiar figure moving stealthily towards her, she flashed her headlights a few times before turning them out. The logistical side of her brain suddenly protested again.

She'd had _backup_ back there. A way to get the job done without doing anything that Fury didn't like...again. A way that guaranteed success-

But Rogers had also once ploughed through ten armed STRIKE guys by himself in an _elevator._ She'd seen the footage herself.

Maybe this was to best way after all, gamble that it was.

 _At any rate, Reeves, you'd better not blow it._

As Rogers opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, she decided it was a risk she was going to have to take.

* * *

"They ask questions?" Steve said quickly as Agent Reeves turned her headlights back on and drove off.

"Yeah, but I don't think 'can I buy you dinner' constitutes anything you'd have to worry about," she replied, still sounding a little short.

He sighed louder than he'd wanted to. "Good. I was actually afraid you'd throw me under the bus for a second."

"Now, why would I do that? Turning over Captain America just seems kinda unpatriotic, dontcha think?"

He thought he picked up on a little pang of guilt in her voice, and he had to stop himself before his mind formed too many questions. He turned to her.

"Thanks-"

Just then the helicopter swept over their heads, especially low. They didn't make anything of it until it suddenly _doubled back_.

Agent Reeves's eyes bugged, but she still seemed content to drive the speed limit, so he forced himself to relax.

Until a bunch of guys in tactical suits came running towards them, rifles drawn.

Agent Reeves sighed. " _Great_."

She swerved hard and promptly disregarded the speed limit.

It wasn't long before a huge trail of SUVs and compact cars like the one he rode in came barreling into the rearview. The car's engine revved again as it accelerated to a speed that was probably ungodly, swerving past the other hostile vehicles that seemed to pour out of the woodworks. Steve went for his phone.

"Sam! We're in a bit of a situation!"

" _Hell yes you are,"_ Sam replied dryly from the other side. " _Agent Blondie have anything to do with it?"_

"If I did, I wouldn't currently be tearing through this neighborhood at _ninety miles an hour,_ would I?" Agent Reeves snapped back, suddenly swerving down a smaller alley to dodge the SUV that blocked her original path.

" _...Fair point."_

"Find us a way out, Sam!" Steve shouted.

" _Hold on...all right, there's an opening to the bridge, but it won't stay open long. I'll buy you some time, but you gotta move."_

"Roger that," Agent Reeves replied, banking onto the highway.

Shots began raining on them from behind. They sped up down the straight-away, but more SUVs kept pouring in from behind them. Steve caught one of the officer's faces in the rearview: hard, angular, and angry-looking as he stuck a rifle out the window and aimed. Before he could fire, a few shots sounded from the sky, and the SUV spun out of control, slamming into a few others and causing a massive pile-up.

"Thanks, Sam."

" _Ain't over yet, Cap! You got at least three more on your nine o'clock! They're coming up fast!"_

"Then take care of them. Just don't get any of them killed," Steve replied.

" _On it!"_

As if on cue, a few SUVs popped into view. The crack of gunfire and smell of burning rubber told Steve Sam had at least been somewhat successful, but a black jeep and two SUVs still followed them. The jeep's passenger opened fire, and the glass in the back window cracked with the rounds still stuck in the holes. When the shooter turned to reload, Agent Reeves leaped into action.

"Take the wheel!" she barked. "Do it now!"

He reached across her and grabbed the wheel, suddenly swerving to avoid some debris, and Agent Reeves produced a pistol, put a round in the barrel, rolled the window down, and shot out the jeep's tires. It flipped over itself behind them, rolling several times before smacking into one of the SUVs and sending it spinning into a concrete wall. She then shoved the pistol back into its place.

"How's that for a reason?" she sassed, rolling the window back up and taking the wheel.

Steve allowed himself a smirk before the remaining SUV pulled up beside them, suddenly ramming itself into the side of Reeves's car. She sped up, but the driver matched her, ramming into them again and sending them skidding down the concrete wall. Sparks flew and metal screamed. Finally Steve rolled down his window and punched through the SUV's. Glass bit into his hand, and it bled, but he didn't really care as he rammed the driver's face into the wheel so hard the airbags deployed. The vehicle squealed away from them, and Agent Reeves sent her battered car forward even farther as he rolled up the window.

Not a hostile in sight.

Steve heaved a sigh of relief, but Agent Reeves's face still twisted into a determined scowl.

"What kind of leads you got on the Soldier?" she asked.

"Honestly, not much," Steve replied a little awkwardly, "but I do have this."

He produced the old KGB file, and she quickly glanced at it before refocusing on the road. Her eyebrow arched.

"You got anything better?"

He'd known she probably would've been hoping for something more, but the flatness in her voice still frustrated him a bit. He barely suppressed an eyeroll.

"No."

"Any way to get it? Facial recognition, encryption software, GPS?"

"...No."

She eyed him hard. "Do you have _any_ kind of surveillance training _whatsoever_?"

"No."

"Then how the hell were you supposed to find him?"

Steve shrugged. "I was gonna...look."

She heaved a noisy sigh. "Oh, bless your heart-"

Suddenly heavy gunfire sounded again, and the car spun around a few times before flipping over into an alley.

They may have dodged the ground forces, but they'd _completely_ forgotten about the helicopter. It hovered for a few seconds before flying over their heads.

Now Steve smelled smoke. An orange glow started to creep up the side of the building they'd hit while the interior grew incredibly hot. He turned and shook Agent Reeves's shoulder; she didn't respond. Quickly he kicked his door open and ran to the other side, just as an object came cutting through the air towards him and sank into the roof of the car.

His shield.

He wrenched it out from the metal and used it to break the other door down, ripping it off its hinges to get to Agent Reeves. Just as the flames started to lick around her, he pulled her out and dragged her to the safety of the deeper shadows around the corner. He shook her shoulder again.

"Agent Reeves…"

She didn't respond, but she wasn't hurt, so he wasn't too concerned. He tried again.

"Agent Reeves?"

Wincing a little, she came to.

"Careful, Captain," she groaned. "They got a helicopter."

Smirking, he helped her to her feet. She steadied herself on his shoulder for a second as agents poured into the alley, shouting and surrounding the wreckage with rifles drawn.

"Sorry about your car," Steve said.

A sudden explosion sent a taller plume of flame shooting out of the engine, and white light ripped the dark as a machine gun went off from the inside, sending a hail of bullets into the agents surrounding the car.

Agent Reeves shrugged. "Wasn't mine."

Steve nodded. "Let's get outta here."

He took off around the corner, Agent Reeves on his heels, and he didn't stop until he found the motorcycle he'd "borrowed" earlier. He hopped on and fired up the engine as Agent Reeves sat behind him and hung on. The Brooklyn Bridge finally sprawled out in front of them as Sam flew overhead, and they crossed it, riding through Manhattan's bustling nightlife and into New Jersey, where the quiet and darkness of late night enveloped them.

They'd _finally_ gotten away.

But as Agent Reeves tightened her grip on him, Steve wondered how long that would actually last.


	6. Chapter 5: Ghosts

**A/N: Hello! Thanks for dropping in! I'm glad you've been enjoying the story so far, and I hope you continue to do so! As always, feel free to review or PM me! Enjoy!**

* * *

Agent Reeves had told him about it on the way, but when the little safe house actually popped into view, relief washed over Steve a little more than he'd expected it to. Well concealed in the middle of nowhere, it didn't look like much, but once Agent Reeves entered the passcode, the metal doors opened to reveal a small but solid compound with a few bunks, a small arsenal, a microwave, other supplies, and various pieces of SHIELD tech.

"Special Forces used to use these places back in the day," Agent Reeves said. "Since Insight we haven't really, but-" she shrugged "-make yourself at home. If you don't mind, Captain, I'd like to take a look at that file as soon as I can."

"Sure thing," Steve replied, "but I think you oughta meet our air support first."

Sam came in behind him as he spoke and grinned. "How you doin'?"

"Eyes in the sky, huh?" Agent Reeves said, smiling for the first time since she'd revealed herself. "You really saved our necks back there."

Sam's grin widened. "You didn't do so bad yourself." He held out his hand. "Sam Wilson."

She took it and gave it a good shake. "Aly Reeves."

"In it for the long run now, huh?" Sam continued. He turned to Steve. "Guess our gamble paid off."

Agent Reeves smiled again, but it faded quickly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I know what it is to lose a friend."

Pursing his lips together into a sad smile, Sam nodded a little, while Agent Reeves seemed to draw more and more into herself at the statement. Steve sighed hard before pulling the file out from under his jacket.

"You wanted to take a look at it?" he said.

"Oh," Agent Reeves replied, starting a little as she seemed to snap out of some sort of reverie. "Yeah. Tech in here's a little dated, but it'll get the job done." She took the file and glanced once at the cover before her eyes popped a little. "KGB. How on Earth did you get this?"

Steve shrugged. "Favor from a friend."

Agent Reeves's eyebrows shot up. "You must have some pretty interesting friends, then."

Steve just laughed a little. "That's one way to put it."

She smiled knowingly before going back to the file. "Man, this thing's as old as I am. September 1984. Might be dated, but it's a start. I'll see what I can get from it and we'll go from there."

"Sounds good to me," Sam said. "Me, I'm gonna go brush my teeth. Had a mosquito stuck up in there since Manhattan and it's driving me nuts."

Agent Reeves made a face. "Fun. Go take care of that."

With that Sam disappeared, leaving Steve with Agent Reeves, who turned towards one of the computers and fired up the holograms before opening the file. She fixated on something in it before picking it up. The old picture of Bucky in his dress greens.

"Is this him?" she said.

Steve nodded as he came over a little closer. "Yup. It was taken the day he got his orders."

Agent Reeves grinned. "Good looking guy."

"Yeah," Steve replied, running a hand through his hair. "He always got all the girls."

Her eyebrow arched a little, and she looked at him disbelievingly. "And you _didn't_?"

He chuckled at the floor. "I wasn't always like this, you know."

She just smiled knowingly and turned back to the picture. "How'd you meet him?"

"Kids on the playground were beating me up," Steve replied. "Bucky was the only one to stick up for me. Been friends ever since."

"Sounds like a good man," she said. Her voice dropped a little. "Makes what HYDRA did to him even more of a shame."

Steve didn't quite know what to say; he just nodded as Agent Reeves took the picture and slid it under a scanner. Tiny lines of blue light inched across it before it reappeared even larger on the hologram with a large title reading _Barnes, James Buchanan_. She tapped a few choices and started facial recognition.

"It didn't take me long to find you doing this," she said, "but for someone who's as good at dropping off the map as the Winter Soldier, it'll take all night at least, if it's successful at all."

"It's more than I had a few hours ago," Steve replied, shrugging.

She turned to face him and smiled a little. "At any rate, it's a start."

He nodded, but concern suddenly washed over Agent Reeves's face as she came a little closer to him.

"You gonna look after your hand?"

Confusion hit him for a second, but he then saw his right hand covered in mostly dried blood with a few cuts still oozing. He shrugged.

"I've had worse-"

"You got glass sticking outta your knuckles," she deadpanned, setting her hand on her hip and giving him a look that reminded him _distinctively_ of an old friend. "Here, I'll take care of it."

"You don't have to do that, Agent Reeves."

She smiled a little ruefully. "Please, after all the crap I've put you through tonight, it's the least I can do."

He sighed and nodded, sitting down while she rummaged through a few cabinets until she found medical supplies. She sat down in front of him, and he gave her his hand. Gently she worked to clean the dried blood off before going after the glass shards with tweezers and disinfecting the cuts. She worked in silence initially, but she suddenly stopped.

"I, uh...about tonight," she stammered before looking him dead in the eye. "I owe you one."

A lopsided smile crept onto his face. "After all I've put you through tonight, it's the least I could do."

She just laughed at her words being fired back on her. He sighed hard.

"Listen, I know we didn't get off to the best of starts, but I wanna tell you how glad I am to have you on my team."

Dressing the cuts, she smiled a little again.

"I'd like to keep going, but on the right foot this time."

She paused for a second so she could look at him. "I'd like that, too."

He smiled. "Good."

She returned the smile, and her bluish-grey eyes lit up.

"I'd be willing to bet you don't go by Agent Reeves all the time," he said. "And saying it over and over again is kinda exhausting, if you ask me."

She grinned as she began to work a bandage around his hand. "Well, my friends usually call me Aly. You can call me that," she said, sliding a clasping pin on the bandage, "I mean, if you want to."

He nodded. "Aly."

The name felt good.

"You can call me Steve," he said.

Aly smiled. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

" _SHIELD's not what you thought it was. It's been overtaken by HYDRA."_

" _We fight until we can't stand, you got that?! Whatever it takes, we will get these people out! Keep the exit clear at all costs!"_

" _Are you deaf or are you stupid?! Agent St. Claire is down; I need an ambulance now!"_

" _Get out of there, Reeves! You can't save them-"_

" _No! We can still do this!"_

" _Call in the Asset! Call in the Asset!"_

" _Oh, my God, the building's coming down!"_

" _Just stay with me, ma'am! You're gonna be all right!"_

" _What have I done-?!"_

Spewing panicked incoherencies, Aly bolted upright. Shaking hands furiously wiped her tear-soaked face dry before running through her now tangled hair and balling it in her fists. Though reality slowly started to come back to her-the blanket wrapped around her legs, the hardness of the cot, the harsh blue light from the hologram leaking into the room from around the corner-her body still rocked, her eyes still wrenched shut, her breaths still came in shallow. As she tugged on her hair, her voice autonomously muttered the same phrase over and over again:

"Agent Alyson Paige Reeves, Commander, SHIELD Special Forces Squad Six, Arlington, Virginia, A-144021…"

Somewhat more stable, she untangled herself from the blanket and put her feet on the floor, the cold roughness of the concrete serving to ground her even further.

She hadn't had a dream like this in a few months. Her thoughts ran wild with confusion at first before realizing the trip to the memorial-the first time she'd set foot on the grounds of SHIELD's old headquarters since the attack-must have triggered it.

Head still in her hands, she forced deep, rolling breaths into her lungs, and her muscles finally started to unlock. But when a large shadow suddenly blocked the light, she jumped badly.

"Hey, easy. Easy. It's all right. You're all right."

The speaker came forward slowly and purposefully, hands raised a little.

"I get them, too. Trust me, I get it."

She finally caught her breath. "Steve?" She groaned. "I hope I didn't wake you up."

The ghost of an empathetic smile slipped onto his face. "I've been up." He heaved a heavy sigh as he carefully sat next to her. "Like I told you...I get them, too."

A beat of silence passed. Steve broke it.

"Do you...do you wanna talk about it?"

She swallowed hard. "I will if you will."

He nodded. She took in a deep breath.

"Washington, last year. My entire command was gunned down." She fought back the emotion that started to surface before continuing. "There were people trapped all throughout the building. They so much as moved, STRIKE would take them out. We were trying to hold the exit and get people to safety. Didn't exactly go as planned."

"I'm so sorry." He shook his head a little. "What command was it?"

"Special Forces Squad Six," she replied.

A strange look came into his eyes at the mention of it, but she didn't have the energy to ask any questions. She sighed hard. He just sat in patient, empathetic silence, so she found it in her to keep going.

"Things were looking up. But...HYDRA had a sniper. Never saw him. Just...slugs coming outta nowhere. Whoever it was took them down first and saved me for last. Gave me these lovely mementos." She moved her hair to reveal a nasty scar on her shoulder and rubbed her side where the other one was. Her teeth clenched. "If I only could've gotten eyes on him...if I'd have pulled them out when I had the chance-"

"Don't do that to yourself," Steve said.

"When you get a command, what's one of the first things they tell you?" she replied, suddenly turning towards him.

He thought for a second. "Be the first man in and the last man out."

"Exactly," she said. "That day, I was the first in, but-" she scoffed a little "-when they said 'last man out,' this isn't exactly what they meant." She went quiet for a second. "I thought just by sheer will we'd be able to stop HYDRA, if we just worked together we'd be able to win the day and pop a few cold ones like we always did." She shook her head. "I was...so hilariously wrong."

Sighing, he shifted around a little. "I know it's hard. Trust me, I've been there more times than I'd like to think about. But...sometimes, things happen that we just can't control. We do our best but, some days, not everybody makes it out. We're gonna have losses, and we'll beat ourselves up over it. But if we can't get back up, then what happens the next time the call goes out?"

She considered his words for a second; then, she slowly began to nod.

"They never gave up on me," she slowly said. "Even when I was at less than my best." She paused for a second. "It's the reason why I worked through lunch on leave and drove straight through dinner to find you. I made them a promise: that no matter what, I wouldn't fail like that again."

He smiled a little. "Just by getting back up and getting back out there, you've already fulfilled that promise. Trust me."

She met his eyes for the first time. "Thank you."

"Absolutely."

Silence held sway for a few seconds. Aly broke it.

"That was a rough day for you, too, wasn't it?"

He just shook his head and slumped. "Best friend I ever had shot me five times. Didn't even know me until the end. Every time I close my eyes, I'm staring down the barrel of his gun again. I'm his mission again. That's what's keeping _me_ awake."

She pursed her lips together in a sad smile.

"But he also saved your life, if I remember correctly," she said.

He nodded. "That's the part the nightmares leave out. And that's why I gotta find him." He smiled a little strangely. "I know you probably think I'm crazy."

She laughed a little. "Oh, I think you're insane. But I also think you're incredibly loyal. These days, that's a rare gem."

He barely smiled up at her. She returned it before she continued.

"Most people will take it for granted. And some will even try to abuse it. But there are still those of us that see it and appreciate the hell out of it." She grinned. "Even if we do think you're nuts."

He laughed for a second, but his face soon faded back to sombre sincerity. "Thank you, Aly."

She nodded a little. "Sure. It...doesn't fix anything, I _know,_ but-"

"It helps to be around somebody that gets it, if only a little bit."

She smiled. " _That_."

He set his wrists on his knees, while she leaned back on her hands. He turned and looked at her, and his eyes locked with hers for a second. She suddenly noticed how blue his were.

"You...wanna go back to sleep?" he finally said.

She just shook her head. "Still wired, so there's no point trying. Besides, sun's gonna be up in an hour or so."

He almost looked sad. "You sure?"

"Even when I don't have nightmares-which is actually most of the time-sleep and I still have a love-hate relationship," she replied, shrugging. She forced a smile. "Don't worry about me."

He stood up. "I make no promises."

She smiled at her feet for a second before standing up and moving past him. "If I'm not getting any more sleep, might as well start going through that file. There's no telling what might be in there." She slid into a seat in front of the hologram. "And facial recognition hasn't gotten a hit yet, so it's probably best to think of any alternate strategies."

She opened the file and started going through it, Steve standing behind her with a hand on the back of the chair.

"Take it you read Russian?"

She just nodded, muttering to herself as she took in the wealth of information.

"What are your specializations?"

"European linguistics and technological surveillance," she replied, not even looking up at first.

He seemed puzzled, so she stopped her work for a second and turned to him.

"I hack stuff and I talk to people."

He nodded. "Sounds useful."

She sighed a little. "I also have multiple advanced combat certifications, but I'm hoping I don't have to use them."

"It'd be nice if we could get through without a hitch, but at this point it's probably wishful thinking," Steve replied.

Her eyebrows shot up for a second, and she suddenly leaned a little closer to the file and started running her finger under the text.

"You got something?"

She nodded. "This name." She pointed to a specific spot in the Cyrillic. "Katya Novak."

Steve's brow furrowed. "You dealt with this person before?"

She nodded. "She was one of HYDRA's best, but at the time we all just knew her as an ex-KGB freelance assassin. 2008, Belarus, of all places. She shared a mutual target with Squad Six. We got there first. Chavez was our big guy; he was taking up the rear. Novak took him down in a couple of blows. Disappeared _and_ took our lead with her. Took us months to track it down again."

"Sounds like trouble," Steve said.

"She's definitely a handful, but according to this, she's also got a serious connection with your friend. Apparently she was trained by the Winter Soldier." She kept reading for a second.

"There a picture of her?"

"No, but thanks to Black Widow, that probably won't take more than a Google search." She turned away from the file long enough to get the search running on her phone. After a few more seconds of reading, her eyes bugged. "Oh, _wow_."

"What?"

"The Soldier went off the grid for two weeks in the 1970s. Nobody knew where he went or why he disappeared. But he turned up in Brooklyn, so your first hunch wasn't a bad one."

He shrugged. "Home's home."

"This is where it gets interesting. The Soldier was found with an Agent Novak. They were both taken back to Siberia, severely punished, and reconditioned for, ah... _unsanctioned behavior."_

Steve looked confused. "Unsanctioned behavior? What'd they do?"

She gave him a look. "Think these multiple back-to-back transactions for a crappy motel room and a cheap bottle of vodka speak for themselves."

Steve scoffed a little. "I don't think he woulda-"

She just held up the picture on her phone-a beautiful Eastern European blonde bombshell with red lipstick and sharp black eyeliner-in response. Steve looked closer.

"Wait...yeah, he would've."

"It can't be the same person, though," Aly said. "She's younger than I am. Or at least...she _looks_ younger than I am. She might be one of their lab rats."

After a minute, Agent Novak's picture popped up next to Bucky's.

"What's your plan?"

"Well," Aly replied, "finding Barnes directly is proving to be a dead end, but if we can find her-" she cranked up the necessary software "-we might be able to get somewhere."

Steve crossed his arms over his chest. "Doesn't sound like Novak's the type that'd wanna play nice."

A rueful grin cracked across her face. "Remember those combat certs I told you about?"

"Right. But if she gave you that much trouble the first time-"

"She won't." Determination hardened her voice as she stared head on at the screen.

The sun barely started to peek through the windows. Sam rounded the corner.

"You find him?"

"No, but I think Aly's got our next lead," Steve replied.

Sam stopped beside him, and his eyes popped when he saw the screen. " _Hel-lo._ Who is _that_?"

"Old friend of Bucky's," Steve replied.

"Friend. Sure."

Steve just gave him a look in response. Sam turned to Aly.

"You know where she is?"

Just then the software got a hit. Aly leaned back in her chair. "Looks like we're about to find out."

The percentage quickly climbed to one hundred. Video footage of the same woman in a flaming red dress and heels suddenly popped up on the screen, along with coordinates and a city name:

"Moscow," Steve read.

"Yup," Aly said. "Either of you boys speak Russian?"

They both shook their heads. Aly turned to the screen.

"Guess I'll be doing most of the talking, then."

* * *

 **A/N: A HUGE thanks to Mischeif's Angel for letting me use her character, Agent Novak, in this story! She will be featured heavily in upcoming chapters, and I wanted to take the time to give credit where credit is due! If you wanna learn more about Agent Novak, go check out _From Russia With Love: Captive Minds_ by Mischief's Angel!**


	7. Chapter 6: Moscow

**A/N: Thank you for all the amazing work, Stan Lee. I hope to be half the storyteller you were, and I hope my little tribute does such beloved characters justice. Excelsior!**

* * *

Steve hadn't been this far east since the war.

Even then, he hadn't made it all the way into Russia, but a little shiver shot up his spine when they flew over southern Poland. He forced the memories back as Sam landed the quinjet. Aly sat next to him, mulling over some last-minute details and muttering to herself in what sounded like Russian. He sighed hard as they left the quinjet and hopped on a train headed towards Moscow.

The plan was a solid one. According to Aly, a huge gala had been held in Moscow just about every year since the early 1970s. Director Pierce used it to "make new connections for SHIELD," which he now knew what code for keeping HYDRA alive and lining its pockets.

Apparently Project Insight had been largely funded by the rich tight-wads that attended this thing, and he hadn't stopped wondering if any of their money had gone into sucking his best friend's soul away.

At any rate, in an environment this saturated with what was left of HYDRA's best, they'd all agreed that there was a good chance that Agent Novak would be in attendance.

Aly knew the streets of Moscow better than he would've given her credit for. That raised some questions, but he shoved them aside as he watched Sam drive up to the beautiful forty-story hotel whose roof he currently sat on. A huge line of well-dressed people inched their way up the white granite stairs and into the immaculate building, and the line trailed well off into the dark.

" _This place is crawling,"_ Aly said. " _Security's top notch, so we're gonna have to be careful."_

"You think you can still get in?" Steve asked.

" _Shouldn't be too much of a problem. If anybody here's gonna recognize me, it won't be the bouncers."_

Steve nodded. "Tell me when you're in."

" _Roger that,"_ she replied.

"You patching me into the front door security cameras?"

" _Sending it your way now,"_ Sam replied.

As if on cue Redwing lighted in front of him, projecting a live feed of the front doors. He watched as a sleek black Audi drove up to the front and a woman in a floor-length dark blue evening gown stepped out of the back, blonde hair pulled up off her shoulders.

He watched her walk up the stairs and held his breath while she went back and forth with the bouncers in Russian. He let out a sigh of relief when she smiled and slipped past the huge white pillars, melting into the crowd. The visual on her faded; he sat back and swallowed hard.

" _In without a hitch. Looking for Agent Novak now."_

"Roger that. Keep me posted."

He almost added: _And please don't get yourself killed._

* * *

Politeness. Refinement. Elegance. Class. With its huge crystal chandeliers, rich crimson draperies, winding marble staircase, and art-covered walls, the room boomed those four words. The busy drone of conversation nearly drowned out the string quartet as they bounced from Mozart to Tchaikovsky, and glasses clinked delicately as waiters bustled around serving champagne and fine wines.

Aly didn't take any. She knew she'd have a hard enough time moving in the long, dark blue gown she wore; her senses needed to stay sharp. A few officers struck up conversations and one even asked her to dance, but she kept her focus until she finally saw what she'd come for.

On a top veranda stood a particularly handsome young HYDRA officer and next to him a tall and striking woman with light golden blonde hair falling in curls around her bare shoulders. Her lipstick matched the flaming red dress she wore perfectly, and she kept up easy conversation with the officer.

Agent Novak.

"Steve," she whispered. "I got eyes in the main ballroom. And she's got company."

" _What kind of company?"_

"Green HYDRA officer," she said. "He's...quite taken with her."

She took a small chocolate truffle from a tray of hors d'oeuvres and slipped closer towards the staircase, leaning up against the railing as casually as she could. Out of the corner of her eye, she continued to watch them, politely engaging in conversation with a few of the other guests when she needed to.

Suddenly Agent Novak whispered something in the officer's ear, and the two slipped off down a hallway.

"They just left the room," Aly muttered.

" _Follow them at a distance,"_ Steve replied. " _But wait a few seconds before you do."_

"Copy that," Aly replied.

A few seconds passed before she climbed the stairs.

"Following them now."

But just before she reached the hallway, a voice called out to her in Russian:

"And where are you going, my dear?"

She turned around to find a sharp-featured colonel addressing her, standing straight with a glass of champagne in his hand.

"For a little fresh air," she replied, forcing as elegant of a smile as she could.

The colonel grinned. "It does get rather suffocating in so crowded a room." He stepped forward. "Do you care if I join you?"

She forced another smile. "I would advise against it. I think I got a hold of some bad shrimp. I'm feeling a little sick, and I doubt you want to see that _._ "

" _Aly?"_

The colonel backed up a little. "Certainly not." A look came into his eyes that Aly didn't appreciate. "But when you feel better, come and find me."

She just smiled and ducked out, not before hearing that same colonel say into his radio:

"Security stay on high alert. We may be compromised."

Her pace quickened as she followed the path she'd thought Agent Novak had taken.

"Steve, we gotta hurry," she said. "Someone may have just recognized me."

" _What? Who?"_

"Some colonel," she replied. "Never met the guy in my life, but he must've seen my face in a record somewhere. At any rate, be ready."

Just then a soft giggle burst out of one of the hallways. Aly followed the noise around a corner just in time to see Agent Novak pull her companion into one of the rooms.

"I found her-"

" _No. Get outta there,"_ Steve said. " _If that colonel knows we're here, you don't have much time."_

"I just need to get a little closer!" she hissed, pulling a pistol and silently picking the lock on the door.

" _Look out, Steve,"_ Sam's voice buzzed over the comms. " _You've got company headed your way."_

Steve sighed. " _Aly, c'mon."_

She slipped into the suite and dropped behind a counter. More giggles and other various sounds that Aly preferred not to place bounced at her from just behind her. They were suddenly interrupted by a muffled scream, a struggle, a slitting sound, and a _much_ darker giggle:

"Oops."

" _Aly, get outta there! I'm compromised!"_

Aly's eyes popped. She jumped out from behind the counter, gun drawn, to find Agent Novak on the couch with the officer's body, knees on his shoulders. His throat was slit, and her back stayed to Aly. But just before she could speak, Agent Novak whipped out a pistol of her own and pointed it dead at Aly's chest.

"Oh, sugar...someone _really_ oughta teach you how to knock."

* * *

The door to the roof shook with the blows that rained down on it from the other side. Steve jumped to his feet and roared into the comms one more time.

"Aly, do you copy?"

She didn't respond; either she had her hands too full to answer or she was ignoring him.

"Aly!"

Silence again. Maybe someone had hijacked their system.

He didn't have time to figure it out.

The door came flying down with a huge crash, and agents poured through the opening, firing on him as soon as they could see him. Round after round bounced off the shield, the force from each one shooting up his arm. Finally he got an opening. The shield flew forward, knocking two of the agents out before wedging deep into the door frame. Another agent came after him with a knife; he ducked, knocked the agent to his knees, and twisted his knife-arm until it popped loudly. The agent screamed, dropping the knife. Steve caught it mid-fall, sending it hurtling into another agent's shoulder before he could get any shots off.

Immediately Steve ran forward, yanking the shield out of the wall just in time to take some more fire. When the agent got close enough, he quickly disarmed him, thrusting the butt of his rifle into his nose for good measure. Hearing light footfalls behind him, he wheeled around, only to see his would-be assailant fall over with a couple of exit wounds in his chest. Sam stood in his place, pistols drawn. He put a few more rounds into another agent before yelling to Steve:

"I got this; you go find Miss Congeniality!"

Steve nodded and flew down the stairs, taking out a few more HYDRA agents in the process. He slid down the stair-railing, using the momentum to kick another agent in the chest, sending him flying back into the wall so hard he went through it. Finally a reprieve.

"Where is she?"

" _Fourth floor, west wing! And I think she's got company!"_

"I know she does," Steve huffed, sprinting off down the hallway.

* * *

"Look, I just wanna talk."

Aly's voice stayed even, but the pistol in her hands didn't flinch. Agent Novak laughed coldly.

"That's what all you SHIELD types always say," she said. "Never gets you where you wanna go, though, does it?"

Agent Novak's voice seemed stuck in a 1950s soap ad, and it drove Aly just about crazy.

"Drop the pistol, drop the act, and we won't have to make a mess of things," she snapped.

"'Won't have to make a mess' like you did in Belarus?" Agent Novak chuckled again. "That was fun! Speaking of which, where _is_ your little entourage?" Her head cocked off ever-so-slightly to the side. "Or did we drop a building on them-?"

" _Where's the Winter Soldier?!"_

Agent Novak stopped dead, and she almost seemed to space out as she moved off of her victim's body. The pistol slowly lowered to her side, and when she spoke, her voice deepened into a more Russian-sounding accent:

"Why does he matter to you?"

She spaced out again, almost seeming to hear something that Aly couldn't, then she spoke again.

"You're going to kill him."

Aly sighed. "I'm trying to keep him from being killed."

She fought to keep from adding: _which is actually insane._

Agent Novak looked at her hard, taking a few more aimless steps towards Aly before something inside of her snapped. She suddenly lunged forward, snatching Aly's wrist and forcing her arm up just as Aly pulled the trigger. The bullet shattered a lightbulb in an ornate overhead fixture, sending glass showering everywhere. Screams echoed from outside, and Aly knew it wouldn't be long before Agent Novak had backup. She rammed her knee into Agent Novak's stomach, sending her to the ground. Immediately she jumped on top of her and twisted her arm around her back, forcing her drop the pistol after a brief struggle. Aly snatched it up and unloaded it quickly, throwing the gun towards one side of the room and the clip out of the window.

Agent Novak wheeled around and kicked hard, nailing Aly right in the chest and sending her stumbling backwards. The Russian flipped back up to her feet and produced a knife, still red with her first victim's blood. Letting out a guttural scream, she lunged at Aly again, who dodged just in time so the knife made a hole in the wall instead of her head. Managing to parry a couple more blows, Aly finally landed a punch to Agent Novak's jaw, knocking her off balance enough to be able to push her away. Agent Novak retaliated fast, sending her knife towards Aly in a whirlwind of blows that she struggled to keep up with. Finally she got the upper hand again, driving Agent Novak back towards the window. But Agent Novak roundhouse kicked, hitting Aly squarely in the gut and sending her flying back to the other side of the room. Before Agent Novak could finish her off, she willed herself to catch her breath, stood up, rushed Agent Novak, and drop kicked her out of the window.

It was only then she remembered that they were at least four stories up. She rushed to the window, peering over the shattered glass and fixating on the top of a smashed taxi cab, where Agent Novak lay still.

As quickly as she could Aly shimmied down the fire-escape and approached the car. She kept her pistol raised in one hand and reactivated her earpiece with the other.

"Steve, I got her."

No response.

"Steve, do you copy?"

Nothing.

"Steve!" She sighed hard, turning her attention back to the still-motionless Agent Novak. "I better not have just killed my lead."

 _Only one way to find out._

Gingerly she put the pistol away and jumped on top of the car, moving to take a pulse.

That proved to be a fatal mistake.

Just as her fingers touched Agent Novak's neck, her wrist was caught in a painfully strong grip. Before she knew what was happening, they were rolling off the top of the car. Her back smacked into the pavement, knocking the wind out of her. Driving her knees into Aly's shoulders, Agent Novak wrapped her hands around Aly's neck, pushing hard into her throat. Pain shot through Aly's entire body, and terror seized her, a terror that her training quickly fought to override. Her arms slammed down on Novak's wrists, then again, but nothing moved her.

Black, purplish clouds moved into the corners of Aly's vision. Her eyes watered, and she started to give up.

Suddenly the grip on her throat was snatched away and the weight lifted from her shoulders. Besides her barking cough and desperate gasping, the only things she could hear were various Russian expletives, the distinct sound of metal slamming into something, the thud of a body hitting the pavement, quick footsteps, and voices:

"You know, I never thought I'd ever see the day that Captain America hit a woman-"

"Special case, Sam."

Her vision started to come back to her, though she coughed until tears poured down her face. Her friends were at her side now; Steve helping her sit up while Sam stood guard behind them. She coughed again before wheezing out:

"I had it under control."

Steve just scowled.

"Like hell you did."

* * *

 **A/N: Credits to Mischief's Angel for the character of Agent Novak. She'll be featured in a few more chapters, and after that, check out _From Russia With Love: Captive Minds_ by Mischief's Angel! **


	8. Chapter 7: Agent Novak

**A/N: This chapter was co-written with Mischief's Angel, and boy did we have a blast! Another huge thanks to her for lending Agent Novak to me. On with the show!**

* * *

Empty boxes from old cargo shipments cluttered the warehouse Steve had moved them to. A cold wind whistled through the metal roof, and the sounds of Moscow's nightlife were only a little bit dampened by distance. Sirens wailed, and occasionally helicopters flew low, shaking the entire building as their searchlights flickered through the dingy windows, over the empty crates, and onto the floor.

"We can't stay here long," Sam said. "Won't take them much to figure out where we've gone."

Steve just nodded. He turned to Aly, who sat behind him on a huge slab of concrete. She hadn't said a word since they'd fled the gala, and she zoned out into the floor, either fighting a dizzy spell or beating herself up. Finally she stirred.

"Let's see if she's awake."

With some effort she got to her feet. She wobbled a bit at first, and between that, the red marks on her throat, and the deep hoarseness in her voice, he couldn't hold it back anymore.

"You shoulda waited for backup," he said.

"I didn't know how much time I had-"

"Aly, you almost died!"

She couldn't come back from that, but her eyes still stayed defiant.

"I'm aware of that," she spat, her voice coming in and out. "Let's just get back to business."

As she turned and slowly walked towards where Sam had Agent Novak restrained, another angry voice drifted into his head from a distant memory:

" _I had him!"_

He knew he'd seen that brand of stubbornness somewhere before.

When he noticed Agent Novak stirring, he shook off his thoughts and made his way over, getting right in front of her. Aly and Sam stood just behind him. Agent Novak's head rolled on her shoulders for a second, and she swore under her breath in Russian.

Steve jumped straight to business.

"You know James Barnes?"

Agent Novak's only response was a defiant stare past Steve's shoulder. He decided to try again.

"When did you last see him?"

Agent Novak scoffed. "Oh, this is cute. Who's good cop and who's bad?"

"Do you really wanna be here long enough to find out?" Aly's voice was a growl, and it wasn't just the hoarseness.

Agent Novak just tilted her head off to the side again. "That's what I thought," she said. "Listen, you can't torture it out of me. You have to know that. I got all the time that you do, since I figure you're trying to find him first, so I don't have to do a damn thing but sit here while you fail." She smirked.

Steve looked her dead in the eye. "If we fail, he dies. Do you want that?"

Agent Novak just shook her head, her aloof smirk still in place. "If you fail to find him, he gets away clean."

"Not with SHIELD trailing him the way they are," Aly said.

Agent Novak sneered. "And whose fault is that, I wonder?"

Aly's face remained stone. Steve sighed.

"Do you know where he is or not?"

Agent Novak just mumbled under her breath in Russian in response.

"She thinks you're pretty, but she also thinks you're an idiot," Aly translated.

Agent Novak growled. Steve swallowed hard before repeating his question.

"Do you know where he is?"

Agent Novak shrugged. "Maybe."

Arms crossed over her chest, Aly came around in front of Steve and fixed Agent Novak with a cold stare. "Why were you at the gala?"

Mock offense plastered itself all over Agent Novak's face. "Can't a girl love a good party, sugar?"

"Not if she murders her date." Aly's eyebrow shot up. "If you two were truly on the same side, why'd you kill him?"

"I don't know about you, but it's fun to me." Agent Novak winked. "Never been on a date where he was able to call back."

"Except with the Winter Soldier," Aly said.

Agent Novak just scoffed. "You're _joking._ "

"We've seen the records," Aly continued. "We know your past with him. Every shift off of your objectives, every transaction you made while AWOL, HYDRA recorded it, and we have it. Made it pretty damn clear that you're more than just an agent and a CO."

Another disturbing grin cracked across Agent Novak's face. "Aw, what'd they say about me?"

Sam piped up from the back. "You got freaky with a psycho-assassin."

"Sam," Steve warned.

Aly began to pace in between Steve and Agent Novak, and she wasn't wobbling as much as she had been. "I also know that you both were punished severely for your actions, but Brooklyn in the '70s wasn't your last dance. Kiev, Cairo, Seville, the list goes on." She stopped long enough to fix Agent Novak with another stare. "After all that, you're willing to just sit back and let him die?"

"A lady doesn't say," Agent Novak replied. "And I don't see you rushing in to save the day either, so excuse me if I don't help you kill someone." Her voice dropped to a hiss. "Call it a professional courtesy to an old acquaintance."

Steve looked up. "We're not trying to kill him. We're trying to save him from the people that will."

Agent Novak rolled her eyes. "That's garbage."

"No. It's not," Steve said. "He saved my life in Washington. I gotta return the favor."

His face fell into an almost sad expression, and Agent Novak's aloofness faded just a little.

"You used to be old pals, huh?" she said.

Steve wasn't sure if she was making fun of him or not, but he decided to answer directly.

"Yeah. We were," he stated. "That's why I gotta find him. And right now, you're my best bet at doing that."

He felt Aly fall back in behind him from where she'd been pacing.

"Based on your actions tonight, I'm assuming you don't view HYDRA as a friend anymore," she said. "You help us, it deals them a serious blow-"

"HYDRA and SHIELD can burn together for all I care!" Agent Novak spat.

Aly didn't budge. "That's what I thought."

Steve's brow furrowed. "But you were there tonight, so I take it they had something you wanted."

Agent Novak just huffed in response. Aly spoke.

"You certainly had that officer wrapped around your finger. Were you trying to extract information?"

"Maybe I just like the attention-"

"You wouldn't have killed him if that were the case," Aly interrupted.

Silence took hold for a while, broken only by the wail of a siren. Sam broke it.

"Guys, look, we're getting nothing out of her and we're running outta time."

Aly turned back towards him. "You haven't been around for many interrogations, have you?"

Sam didn't respond, and Steve just maintained a stubborn silence as he stared Agent Novak down. Finally she spoke.

"I'm used to this. Nothing you can do is going to scare or hurt me, got it? So, if you want my help, you better start offering a better reason. What's in it for me?"

"What do you want?" Aly asked. "Money?"

Agent Novak scoffed again. "I can get that anywhere. No, I want out of this picture. For good." She stared daggers into Aly. "As far as your frosty cyborg friend knows, I'm dead. I'd rather not change that."

"You give us what we need, SHIELD, HYDRA, even the Winter Soldier himself won't ever know you were here," Aly said. "I can get you off their radar if you cooperate."

Agent Novak slowly began to nod. "And...you're not going to kill him?" For the first time that night, she sounded hesitant.

"I promise you, we're not gonna kill him," Steve said.

The sincerity that flooded his voice must have been enough to break Agent Novak down.

"I don't know where he is." She sighed hard. "I know that HYDRA's not zeroing in yet, either. That dead weight back in the bedroom didn't think he ever got out of the States. It won't be long, though, before HYDRA gets its act together. But don't ask me who they're gonna get to head the operation up, 'cause I don't have a damn clue." Her voice trailed off, and when it came back, she almost sounded grieved. "They can't be the first...if they find him, he'll wish they killed him."

"They won't be first," Aly said. Her voice suddenly cut out on the last word, and she winced and rubbed her throat for a second.

Agent Novak didn't notice. "He didn't know himself from Adam when I knew him," she said. "He only knew something about Brooklyn and a guy named Steve, but that never panned out. I already tried there."

"So our princess is in another castle," Sam quipped.

Aly smirked, but Steve looked confused.

"Princes-huh?"

"Super Mario Bros, dude. Add it to the list."

"List? What list?" Aly said.

"He's got a list of stuff to catch up on," Sam replied. "Keeps it in a little notebook."

She tried not to grin and failed. "That's adorable."

"Focus up, please," Steve interjected, turning a light shade of pink.

Agent Novak spaced out into the floor again. Exhaustion, frustration, brokenness mingled in her eyes, and in spite of the front, Steve recognized the look he'd seen on so many other faces:

Agent Novak just wanted to run.

"Take it HYDRA hurt you pretty bad too, didn't they?"

Agent Novak didn't respond, but he knew he'd struck a nerve. He sighed hard.

"Experimentation?"

Agent Novak's jaw clenched. "I didn't volunteer, if that's what you mean."

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Steve said.

"This isn't about me," Agent Novak replied. Her voice shifted to an almost relieved giddiness. "I'm a ghost as soon as you let me go."

"Right," Steve said.

He moved for Agent Novak's bonds, but he turned to Aly for a second. She just gave him a quick nod in response. Before he could let her go, Agent Novak suddenly spoke, but the key of her voice was different.

"What kind of a list is it?" she asked.

The question took him aback, but he didn't see any harm in answering it.

"It's...a bunch of stuff. Movies, history, the Internet." He shrugged. "Video games-"

"Which he really, _really_ sucks at, by the way," Sam added.

The beginnings of a grin started on Aly's face, but Agent Novak's quick and sudden glances stopped her short and snapped her right back into a more militant mode.

"What is it?" she said.

"Paper," Agent Novak said, obviously not all there. She huffed. "Before I forget again!"

A little puzzled, Steve turned to Aly and Sam, who both looked just as confused as he did. Slowly Sam produced a napkin, and Aly a pen. Sam then released Agent Novak from her bonds, but as soon as he did Aly stepped up and pointed a loaded pistol at Agent Novak's head.

"Just in case," she lipped to Steve.

Sam then handed over the napkin and pen, and Agent Novak started scribbling on it furiously.

"The hell are you doing?" Sam demanded.

"What's it look like? I'm making a list!" Agent Novak sounded offended.

"Well, yeah," Sam fired back. "Of what?"

"Places and things!" Agent Novak said.

Still eyeing her skeptically, Sam backed off, and Steve and Aly exchanged looks. Agent Novak kept scrawling on the napkin; then, she stopped short.

"We were close...for what it was," she suddenly said. "We would talk about things when we'd been out of the ice for too long and he'd try to remember who he'd been before. Tried to help him where I could, but they did a number on him."

"What things?" Steve asked.

"Things we talked about. Things we missed. Things we wanted to see if...if we ever got to be people again."

Aly's face softened a lot, but the pistol didn't move. Agent Novak continued.

"This was…" Her voice trailed off, and she suddenly seemed to be in a completely different world as she balled the napkin in her hand.

"Agent Novak?" Steve said.

She didn't respond. Aly tightened her grip on her pistol, and Sam's hands went to his.

" _Agent,"_ Steve said.

He didn't want to start another fight, but he prepared himself nonetheless. Thankfully Agent Novak came back to herself, if only a little bit, and made eye contact with Steve for a second before returning her gaze to the floor and hesitantly handing over the list.

"If we made it out...this is what he said we'd do," Agent Novak said. "We'd...go places and try to fix the things we'd broken. These are the ones that I remember in the States."

She couldn't look at her questioners at all. Silently Steve read the list over, and Sam spoke up.

"How do we know you're not just setting us up?" he said.

"Doesn't matter," Agent Novak replied. "I'm dead to the world. That includes him. That was the deal. As far as he knows, he finished the job."

Steve just nodded. Aly took a step back.

"You're gonna have to find somewhere else to lay low," she said. "SHIELD will follow us to Moscow if they aren't here already."

"Let 'em take their best shot," Agent Novak replied, slipping right back into her old aloofness. "What do I have left to lose?"

Lowering the pistol, Aly stepped back. "Thank you for your cooperation."

Suddenly Agent Novak stood and stormed over to Steve, getting right up in his face. "Everything on me goes dark. Got it? No files. No records. If he doesn't remember...he never should."

Steve nodded. "Understood."

She hesitated for a long second before pulling something out of the front of her dress and clapping it into Steve's hand. Her scowl hardened exponentially, and anything left of the coy front dropped.

"You get those bastards _away_ from James."

Steve looked her dead in the eye. "I will."

With a nod, Agent Novak slowly backed away towards Aly and Sam. Just then another helicopter flew overhead, lower than all the others, and voices bounced in and out of earshot from outside.

"You should get out of here," Steve said.

"You should, too," Agent Novak said, climbing up a few of the old cargo containers to a high window,. "Three's a crowd-" she took off one of her stilettos and used it to bust the window open "-and that's gonna draw a lot of attention you don't want."

Aly nodded sharply. "She's right."

Steve acknowledged Agent Novak one last time.

"Thank you."

Agent Novak only shrugged and let herself fall out of the window in response. Once she had disappeared, Steve turned back to the object his fist was closed around. He'd known what it was as soon as it had hit his hand with a distinct and soft jingle, but seeing the metal glint in his palm still felt like a punch in the gut.

Bucky's old dog tags.

"Cap?"

Sam's voice broke him out of his reverie just as the helicopter made another sweep. He stuffed the dog tags into a pocket on his tac suit, picked up his shield, and sighed hard.

"Let's get outta here."

With that they slipped out of the warehouse, sticking to shadows and nearby woods and dodging a few agents here and there until they finally piled into the quinjet and left Moscow behind.


	9. Chapter 8: Leads Followed

_**A/N: Thanks for being patient with me in getting this update up! I was a little busy with a college graduation (FINALLY!). I really hope y'all like this chapter, and don't be afraid to drop me a review or a PM! Enjoy!**_

* * *

Searchlights brushed over buildings and streets. Agents poured into an old warehouse-the back left window of which had been messily broken open-and shouts ricocheted throughout it. Agent Cox found himself thankful that the words stuck to "All clear!" or "Come and get a load of this!" instead of the screams that had poured through these ranks in the past, especially a little over a year ago. Rifle drawn and poised for action, he rounded the corner, headlamp lighting up every shadow around the empty crates and slabs of concrete and revealing nothing. Sighing with relief, he lowered his rifle and took a look at the security footage that another agent just about shoved into his lap.

"Just in from the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow, sir," he said.

Two holograms of footage ran in front of him: one of Captain America turning HYDRA agents into mincemeat in a hallway, the other of two well-dressed women in a vicious knife fight. When he caught one of their faces, his eyes popped.

"Stop it there," he barked.

The younger agent did as he was told, and Agent Cox zoomed up on the face, twisted up in a snarl with blood running from her nose, but he still knew her.

"So she teamed up with Rogers after all." He shook his head. "Reeves, what're you doing?" he muttered under his breath.

"It gets better," the younger agent said, switching to footage of a well-lit parking lot of Agent Reeves trying to check vitals on a motionless opponent only to be thrown off the top of the car and strangled. "That's _after_ a four-story fall. Don't know who she is, sir, but she's definitely enhanced."

"And then they came here, based on fingerprint scans and DNA analysis," Cox muttered. "Any leads on where they went after?"

"Negative, but we're operating on level five surveillance protocol. They won't stay hidden long-"

"Sir!"

Another agent came jogging around the corner, visor lifted and rifle in hand.

"We got a hit," she said, pulling up a hologram of an aircraft coming up out of the treeline from a device on her wrist. "Quinjet seen taking off at oh-two-hundred hours from the specified coordinates headed northeast. We're certain it's Rogers."

"Good. Get a team ready to go after them, but leave the rest behind to hunt down that doped-up Russian Barbie-doll so we can get back to our primary objec-"

Just then a loud crash sounded from the roof and what little light that seeped in through the windows went completely out. Agents called out to each other and found cover, and rifles immediately shot up to the ready. Agent Cox inched forward, only for the two agents with him to fall one after the other seemingly out of nowhere.

Then came shattering glass and gunshots as all hell broke loose.

Hostiles swung in through the windows, opening fire or driving knives into Cox's men left and right. He swore loudly before opening fire himself, only able to hold the attackers off at range for a few precious seconds before getting locked into a knife fight. Though his adversary was fast and well-trained, he managed to ground him quickly, sending his own knife into his face before diving back behind a crate and opening the coms.

"All teams, this is Agent Cox requesting immediate backup! Hostiles at the rendezvous point, repeat, hostiles at the-"

His radio was shot out of his hand, and another round sank in in between his ribs. Biting back a scream, he crumpled to the ground, suddenly realizing how eerily quiet all had suddenly become. Close by another agent lay motionless, but when Cox caught sight of the intact radio in her hand, he slid himself towards it.

Only to feel the sharp pop of breaking bone as a heavily booted foot smashed into his ribs.

This time he cried out, just in time for a hand to grab the back of his tac suit and roughly flip him over. A huge figure now towered over him, armed to the teeth and dressed in solid black except for the white paint on the front of his mask. Cox growled in recognition.

"You son of a bi-"

He couldn't finish the word before his face was smashed in.

* * *

 _Wall Street offices. Hayes Valley, San Francisco. Coney Island. Latverian Embassy, Washington, DC. Hollywood._

And, of course:

 _Brooklyn._

Steve sighed hard as he read the list over again.

"Where to, Cap?" he heard from the cockpit.

Reaching up and grabbing a handle in the quinjet's framework, Steve leaned behind Sam's chair, taking one last glance at the list.

"She wrote Coney Island on here twice," he said.

"We were just in New York and got nothin'," Sam replied.

"I know," Steve said. "There are multiple places in Washington, a couple embassies, the Pentagon, the Capitol, the list goes on. Thing is, I don't know if Bucky woulda stayed there after what happened."

"Yeah, but it's also a real good place to hide in plain sight. I mean, you and Romanov pulled it off." Sam said. "If this list proves anything, it's that Frosty can blend in just about anywhere."

"But that was before the entire world was looking for him," Steve sighed.

"Still, it's as good a place as any to start," Sam said. "As long as he doesn't trash my old digs."

Steve smirked. "Set course for Washington, then. And try to get some rest at some point."

Sam smiled. "Will do, Cap."

Clapping Sam on the shoulder, Steve strode further back into the quinjet, where Aly sat with her back to him and her feet up on one of the seats. She held her phone to her ear, and he thought he could make out Fury's voice in what sounded like a very exasperated voicemail. Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair, and for the first time since he'd met her, she looked unsure of herself. She also seemed to be in a good amount of pain; she didn't move her head much at all, and the red marks around her throat had quickly started to turn into bruises. When he came to her side and she didn't look at him, he slipped even further back into the quinjet and rummaged through supplies until he finally found what he was looking for: NSAIDs and a few ice packs. He grabbed them and went back to her, stopping right beside her and laying a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She smiled.

"Thought you were still mad at me," she whispered.

"Oh, I am," he replied. "But it doesn't mean I'm not concerned."

Her smile grew a little as she took the pills and the ice packs from him. "Thanks."

He nodded and sat down by her feet. "Sure."

She popped the pills in her mouth and moved the ice over her throat. Sighing, she fixated on a spot on the floor, her thoughts obviously catching back up with her.

Steve's brow furrowed. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just…" She held the phone up. "Ten voicemails. Three from Fury, two from Hill. They're...not happy."

He nodded. "Who were the other five voicemails from?"

She rolled her eyes a little. "My mother."

He chuckled, and she smiled a little.

"Remember what I told you," he said. "It's on me."

She nodded. "Still, we're all gonna take a lot of heat for this. I don't mean to be rude, but your friend better be worth it."

"Trust me, when he's himself, he's somebody you want having your back," Steve replied almost automatically.

"That's just it. _When he's himself._ What if he's not?" She shifted around almost nervously. "Have you thought of what you'll do if he doesn't know you? If he tries to kill you, or me, or Sam?"

It had occurred to him certainly, and he'd wondered if saving Bucky and killing him would end up being synonymous. But every time it crossed his mind, his heart jumped up and got in the way.

"It won't come to that," he replied.

Aly continued.

"I know you know him a lot better than I do, and I don't mean to dash your hopes, but-" she sighed "-just...be ready."

Though he knew she had a point, the same stubborn reply came tumbling out:

"He won't. Not this time."

Nodding, she backed off, but Steve got the feeling this wasn't the last time he'd have this conversation. She turned back towards him.

"What was he like? I mean, before?"

Memories started to flood back at the question, and he couldn't help but smile

"He was smart, funny, brave, a little too good with the ladies."

She laughed a little, and he continued.

"His pops wasn't in the picture, so he was the one looking out for his mom and his kid sister, making sure they had what they needed."

She almost seemed shocked. "He had a little sister?"

"Yeah. Becky. She adored him."

She offered a pursed-lipped smile in response.

"He had a really big heart. Always looking out for the little guy, so...me."

"It's hard for me to imagine you as _little_ ," she chuckled.

"I get it," he said. "I mean...looking at old photographs of me before the serum is strange, but trust me, little guy's still in there."

His mind went to places he didn't want it to, and she swung around, put her feet on the floor, and slid a little closer to him.

"You'd only been off the ice for...what, two weeks before Loki came?"

He swallowed hard and nodded. She just shook her head.

"I can't imagine."

He just fixated on the stars that flew past them out the window. "Go where I need to go, do what I need to do. Stuff comes my way, I deal with it and move on. It's how I've always been."

Silence took over for a moment. She broke it.

"That's a _lot_ for one person to carry," she said. "I mean...I was in psychotherapy for almost a year before getting back out on the field, and that's for a fraction of what you must've seen, what Barnes has seen."

He scoffed lightly. "You saying I need help?"

"I'm saying that...I may not understand all of it, but if you ever need somebody to talk to-" she laid a quiet hand on his knee "-you have friends."

He finally peeled his attention away from the window. "Thanks, Aly."

She just nodded. "Yeah."

The rush of flight noise filled the silence. She broke it.

"I saw you in Sokovia," she suddenly said. "There was a little boy trapped in the rubble, screaming, crying, and you picked him up, dusted him off, carried him back to his mom. Don't know what you said to him, but even after he was reunited with his mom, he couldn't take his eyes off you. And his mom...I'll never forget the look on her face."

"I didn't know you were in Sokovia," he said.

"Yeah. I was on the helicarrier, first mission back since SHIELD officially fell. I didn't know how I'd react to being back, and it was a lot to take in, but then I saw you with that little kid, and it reminded me of why I even joined SHIELD in the first place." She sighed. "I'll be honest, after HYDRA was exposed, it was hard...not knowing what people really stood for, if they were really on my side. You have no idea what a relief it is to me to finally have somebody that I can trust again."

He smiled a little. "You trust me?"

She laughed. "Hey, if you can't trust Captain America, then there is something _seriously_ wrong with you." She grinned for a second, then the mirth faded into a more sombre tone. "But in all seriousness, Steve, I'm glad to have met you."

A strange smile suddenly came across his face, and he looked dead at her.

"What?" she said.

"Nothing. It's just," he sighed, "you remind me of somebody. An old friend."

She smiled softly. "That a good thing?"

He sighed hard. "I don't know."

She went quiet, but she still smiled.

"Don't get me wrong, this friend of mine was great, it's just—"

"Hard. Trust me, I get it." She turned towards the window. "I see glimmers of my friends every day. Singh played guitar, Fitz was _obsessed_ with M.A.S.H., and Jess had a thing for a weird craft beer from Wisconsin. Every time I see someone choke one down, I think of her."

Steve laughed. Aly continued.

"Agent St. Claire...she wasn't part of my squad, but...she loved dogs. Especially rescues."

"And every time you see one, it takes you back."

She nodded. "After this is over, I'm gonna find out who killed them. And I'm gonna make sure they get the justice they deserve."

"Gonna have to rat out a lot of HYDRA agents to do that."

"There are sleeper cells all over the world. But if we somehow manage to track down the freaking Winter Soldier, we can find just about anybody."

Steve stood up. "Get some rest while you can. We get to Washington, we hit the ground running."

"That goes for you too, soldier. I mean it."

He gave her a knowing smile. "Yes, ma'am."

With that he made his way back to the cockpit. Sam didn't look at him.

"You know we're gonna have to ditch this thing if we wanna keep the suits off our backs," Sam said. "It can fly itself back to the Compound."

Steve nodded. Sam sighed hard, sealed off the cockpit and turned the comms off.

"When are you gonna tell her?"

Steve's eyebrow shot up. "Tell her what?"

"Oh, c'mon, dude. You know what I'm talking about."

" _Special Forces Squad Six was one of the most elite under our command, and he knocked them down like a bunch of freaking dominoes…"_

Steve stared at his feet. Sam went on.

"Say we find him and he remembers her and the rest her squad. The whole reason for that big damn chip on her shoulder." He shrugged. "I'm just sayin'...it'd be a whole lot better coming from you."

Nodding, Steve swallowed hard. "No, you're right. She needs to know. But not just yet. Tonight's been rough on all of us, and if Washington's anything like Moscow, we'll run into trouble. She needs to be able to focus. We all do."

"You got a point. But...don't put it off for too long, Cap. Seriously."

Lights from the East Coast cut into the night. Steve stared at them hard.

"I won't," he said. "I promise."


End file.
